Up To Now

A little about myself. I am Michelle and I live in Southern California and I took this picture during one of the most tiring and funnest little hike. I am a Childcare Provider/Caregiver and will be a full-time student this upcoming Fall! Up to the creation to this blog, my life has been kind of a whirlwind and I want to talk about it a bit. 

I graduated college in 2012 and--I think curiosity and a touch of naiveness-- I was left unemployed and "lost" for a year and a half. Coming out from college with a plan to "land" a job and be independent is very hard nowadays. With a B.A. in Psychology I thought I would easily find an entry level job at some community service agency or as a T.A, but no. Months flew by and nothing, but I did volunteer in many places, so I was learning and growing. I was in a way working just without pay. 

During this time some people told me that I was just wasting my time being a volunteer and that I should look for a job at any place. Yes, I did consider quitting all of my volunteer positions but knowing that in the future I will like to become a clinical social work, I knew that all of the volunteer experience would help me get into grad school and eventually help me get a job after. Well, I sticked around volunteering and through patience and hardwork I was able to land my first job ever. Also, through all of this I was in the process of applying into grad school and thankfully I got accepted into the school I wanted--and I believe that all the volunteer work helped. You know this grad school process is somewhat long and stressful but I never thought that looking into grad school would be like looking into purchasing a car! Thankfully there are some scholarships, financial aid, and grants for tuition but leading up to higher education, tuition gets higher! Therefore--like it or not-- leading to loans. Yes, you expect to be in debt for a car purchase and paying of a house but being in debt for school? I think it's kind of too much. This part disappoints me a lot because yes I got in and am fortunate to pay it somehow but what about those that really cannot pay? I don't want to sound preachy or anything but it sucks that people are always told to continue school but without money, you can't. 

I understand that like me, there may be some people in the same situation and at some points you might feel like time is slipping and you are not doing anything--but no, try to clear your mind and set your goals. Self care is #1 because if you aren't happy, it is hard to figure out where you want to go and it is hard to be nice to others. 

ML